I came accross an interesting sutta in the 3's of the new Anguttara titled 'wailing' in which the Blessed One states that in the Noble One's discipline singing is wailiing...dancing is insanity and excessive showing of the teeth is childish.The last sentence says something like but if one wishes to smile because of dhamma then just smile....i didn't read the footnote to see what the explanation of this last sentence was sorry, but from my experiencecs of living as a monk in Thailand around well practiced teachers who are reputed to have good meditation there is a culture of being heedful and not careless, restrained and not indulgent etc so I can maybe relate to this easier than others.

My question/thought is after having a little debate about whether smiling is ok or not with somebody (for those in favour see majjhima 79 'dhammacetiya sutta') were king pasanedi praises Gotama's disciples for being so happy, does any one have any references for where the Buddha himself refers to joy as a quality of his disciples in a praiseworthy way ?? Meaning can smiling to the point of showing ones teeth be said to be wholesome or not? in terms of abandoning the hindrance of sensual desire my experience is that it is indeed childish because it increases the arisen taint of sensuality and the arouses the unarisen one too...

dvemebhikkhave wrote:....Meaning can smiling to the point of showing ones teeth be said to be wholesome or not? in terms of abandoning the hindrance of sensual desire my experience is that it is indeed childish because it increases the arisen taint of sensuality and the arouses the unarisen one too...

Hello,

I'm not sure if you are only refering to smiling in connection with monks (and I've certainly seen monks at monasteries smiling gently sometimes). However, for the lay practitioner, how can parents smiling at their children be unwholesome ? How can a friendly smile at others in the workplace or at the supermarket check-out be unwholesome ?....or when sitting next to a lonely pensioner at the doctor or dentist's surgery ?

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you - but what a grim world it would be if nobody ever smiled !

with kind regards

Aloka

Last edited by Aloka on Wed Dec 05, 2012 2:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Bhikkhus, if you develop and make much this one thing, it invariably leads to weariness, cessation, appeasement, realization and extinction. What is it? It is recollecting the Enlightened One. If this single thing is recollected and made much, it invariably leads to weariness, cessation, appeasement, realization and extinction.Anguttara-Nikaya: Ekanipata: Ekadhammapali: PañhamavaggaVSMVMMWBBTBHTWTBTMy Page

A smile is an expression on the face caused by happiness and where the corners of the mouth turn up. Laughter is a combination of facial expressions, sounds and bodily movements indicating strong happiness or amusement. There is no reference to the Buddha ever laughing but he is said to have had a beautiful smile and to have smiled often (S.I,24; Th. 630).

The Buddha’s smile, together with his calm and radiant countenance, gave him an attractiveness that naturally attracted people. His disciples were described as being ‘smiling, cheerful, exultant, joyful and with radiant complexions’ (M.II,121). The psychology of the abhidhamma recognises several types and intensities of smiles and laughter - the gentle smile (sita), the beaming smile where the corners of the mouth turn up and the teeth can be seen (hasita), laughter that makes an audible sound (vihasita), laughter that causes the head, shoulders and arms tremble (upahasita), laughing until tears come to the eyes (apahasita), and roaring with laughter (athisita). The Buddha considered loud giggling and laughing to be inappropriate for monks and nuns (A.I,260), given that their vocation is a serious one. In the Dhammapada he asks, ‘Why all this laughter and celebration when the world is on fire?’ (Dhp.146). The Buddhist peoples of Asia are renowned for their readiness to smile, a characteristic which reflects a general openness and kindness which the Buddha’s teachings impart.

(above by Ven. Dhammika for Dhamma Wiki)

An example of the importance of smiling and laughter can be found in this excerpt (paraphrased) from the Patisambhidamagga (trans. by Kare, Dhamma Wheel):

Those who are filled with smiles and laughter, will perfect the virtues. That is smiling wisdom. Those who are filled with smiles and laughter will also attain perfect concentration and wisdom. Those who are filled with smiles and laughter will attain the path and the direct knowledges, and they will quickly realize the ultimate meaning, nibbana.

''On one occasion the Blessed One was wandering on a tour among the Kosalans with a large community of monks. As he was going along a road, he saw a large sala forest in a certain place. Going down from the road, he went to the sala forest. On reaching it, he plunged into it and at a certain spot, broke into a smile. Then the thought occurred to Ven. Ananda, "What is the cause, what is the reason, for the Blessed One's breaking into a smile? It's not without purpose that Tathagata's break into smile." So he said to the Blessed One, "What is the cause, what is the reason, for the Blessed One's breaking into a smile? It's not without purpose that Tathagata's break into smile."Gavesin Sutta: About Gavesinhttp://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html

Excerpt:‘’He was the Awakened One. He let her put her offering into his alms bowl. After Mallika — without knowing to whom she had given the food — had prostrated at his feet, she walked on full of joy. The Buddha smiled. Ananda, his attendant, who knew that the fully Enlightened One does not smile without a reason, asked therefore why he was smiling. The Buddha replied that this girl would reap the benefits of her gift this very same day by becoming the Queen of Kosala.’’http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... ml#mallika

with mettaChris

---The trouble is that you think you have time------Worry is the Interest, paid in advance, on a debt you may never owe------It's not what happens to you in life that is important ~ it's what you do with it ---